Real Madrid have a huge task ahead of them in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final against Wolfsburg at the Santiago Bernabeu, but will be boosted by the return of several key players who were rested in the weekend win over Eibar.
The likes of Toni Kroos and Gareth Bale are expected to return to Zinedine Zidane’s starting lineup after being rested in Saturday’s 4-0 victory over Eibar. While Kroos and Bale were rested (according to the BBC), captain Sergio Ramos was serving out a suspension after being sent off against Barcelona at the Nou Camp.
One player who is almost sure to start is Brazilian midfielder Casemiro, who will anchor the midfield and look to shield the back four. Zidane was all praise for the 24-year-old ahead of the match.
“He’s a player who brings balance to the side,” Zidane was quoted as saying by Real Madrid’s official website. “We’ll see who is starting tomorrow. We know the importance of Casemiro when we’re attacking. When we have the ball it’s important to know what is going to happen next. He’s always thinking about those things.”
Too big a deficit for Real?
Despite Wolfsburg’s indifferent form in the Bundesliga, the German side will be a completely different proposition to weekend opponents Eibar. Coming back from 2-0 down in the second leg of a Champions League knock-out tie is a very difficult task and the lack of an away goal could come back to haunt Zidane’s men.
However, the match will be played at the Santiago Bernabeu, and with the crown behind them, Los Blancos might just be able to pull off a comeback. On the other hand, the Bernabeu crowd have been known to boo their own players when they are not playing well and Real Madrid need to get an early goal in order to prevent their own fans turning against them.
